Antlion Soldier
Overview The Antlion Soldier is a four legged creature that seems to be around 3 feet (90 cm) tall, although Sheckley suggests it is 5 feet (1.5 meters). They are also commonly green-colored with tints of tan, purple, and yellow. A few have patterns such as tiger stripes on their "torsos". Underneath an Antlion's carapace are wings which allow it to fly short distances in order to reach higher levels or attack an intruder. Antlions have a triangular shaped head which possess sharp mandibles, similar to an Earth ant. All Antlions species are blind and do not have eyes, and instead rely on keen senses of smell and vibration to find their way around. This is shown best during Sandtraps, where walking across the sand causes them to climb out of their nests and attack. Behavior and skills Antlions are rapacious pack predators. Their favored method of accosting prey is to bury themselves in soft sand, sense for vibrations around them, then emerge and ambush the intruder. They usually form swarms so large that even a well-armed opponent will be quickly overwhelmed. Although they are blind they are extremely sensitive to vibration, which allows them to follow their enemies wherever they go once detected. This sensitivity can be turned against them; Thumpers, machines which pound the ground rhythmically, overload their senses causing them discomfort and preventing them from advancing on prey near them. Antlions attack with their sharp claws and teeth. Those fleeing on foot or seeking higher ground will find no sanctuary from them; they will fly at opponents above or a distance away from them. They will fearlessly attack and pursue their target regardless of hazards they are faced with, and will continue charging even as fellow Antlions die in front of them. This includes charging into moving vehicles and into water, despite the fact they cannot swim. Antlions are both fiercely territorial and invasive. They will sweep into neighboring territory if it is not properly protected. Pheromones Common Antlions seem to defer overall leadership to Antlion Guards, who direct them through the use of pheromones. Harvesting Pheropods (through an unhygienic extraction method practiced by Vortigaunts) from the body of an Antlion Guard will allow a user to control the common Antlions. Users can command Antlions to follow by applying pressure to the pod. The user can also make Antlions move to a certain spot by throwing the pod to that spot. A note about these pods is that they do not provide protection against other Antlion Guards. Antlions make excellent shock troops, once a pod is thrown, the antlions will charge at an incredible speed and take out whoever is in the immediate vicinity of where the pod landed. The Antlions can kill Combine Soldiers in one hit, and seem to be able to take more punishment than those not directed through the use of a pheromone pod. Any Antlion killed will quickly respawn, even when there are no burrows around (albeit it will take much longer than if there was a burrow) and will act on their own, attacking anyone who poses of a threat toward them. They are quite smart, for example, they will fly up to take on defended machine guns by utilizing flanking maneuvers. Category:Antlions Category:Enemies Category:Half Life 2